Thus far in A Million Little Pieces, James Frey has woken up on an airplane all beat up. He is a drug addict and alcoholic, and has been since elementary school. He is taken to a treatment center in Minnesota and has been forced to endure a double root canal without any pain medication. He is finding rehab to be very difficult and wants to leave. He stays, however, for his friend Leonard and more-than-a-friend Lilly. Even though male-female relationships are off limits, James realizes that love is worth the risk and continues with his relationship. Also, James has been enrolled in the family program. He has never had a good relationship with his parents, and is furious that they would come. When his parents come, James originally has a hard time but as they go through the program, the family grows closer together. A bump in the road for the family is learning that James has to go to jail. It is difficult, but manages to bring them together and realize how much they need each other. James does experience some tension with the staff by outwardly rejecting the 12 Steps. He sees it as replacing one addiction with another, and does not want to be addicted any longer. The counselors doubt him, but James continues with his journey.
One thing that really struck me about this part of the story is how the tragedy of James having to go to jail brings the family together. I would have thought it would tear them farther apart, but it does the opposite. James describes it saying, “We hold each other. We are a Family. Though I have been their child for twenty-three years, we have never been a Family. We are now” (Frey 285). I think at this point the family realizes they need each other to get through such a hard time. Hopefully the support of his family will help James through his treatment.
Another quote that stuck out to me is said by James after another man in treatment tells him about how his girlfriend, Lilly, was sexually mistreated. He says, “Did it make you feel like you were different from her, even though you know you’re not, or did it make you feel good, even though deep inside you feel like a piece of sh*t?” (Frey 322). I was shocked at how real this is. It is human nature to want to put others down so you can feel better than yourself. I am also happy that James stood up for his girlfriend while not denying her past. It shows how he is getting his life back together.
In the beginning of the book, James had awful ethics. He only cared about getting his next fix; not who he would hurt or abuse in achieving his high. He himself says to his parents, “I f*cked up your life, all of our lives, and I’m truly truly sorry.” (Frey 284). He is talking about his past and he didn’t care about the impacts of his actions. The fact that he even apologizes shows how his morals have improved. Also, as previously quoted, James protects Lilly. He now cares about others and how they feel. He no longer only fixates on feeding his addiction, but on friends and family. Getting off of drugs and alcohol has helped James see life and his morals change for the better to accompany his new world view. It will be interesting to see the improvements in his morals by the end of the story.
Source
Frey, James. A Million Little Pieces. New York: Anchor, 2005.*A Million Little Pieces should be underlined, but BlogSpot won't let me
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2 comments:
I'm also surprised and impressed that James' family is brought together, not apart, by his having to go to jail. To me, this shows how much James' parents love him. Lots of parents would be more likely to become furious at their children for needing to go to jail. It seems like his parents' love has helped James in other ways, too--they got him into treatment and are helping him in treatment. This makes me wonder how they allowed James to become a drug addict at such a young age in the first place.
It is nice to hear that James is finally starting to get better. It seems like the visit from his parents might have opened his eyes and helped him to realize just how much damage he has caused by his old habits. Since they are still there though, and their relationship is improving it is showing him that they still care and it is still possible for him to get better and turn his life around. But I think Katherine posses and interesting question.
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